Petra Kvitova’s comeback from maternity leave ended in defeat as Britain’s Jodie Burrage triumphed in a three-set battle at the ATX Open.
Kvitova, 34, was playing her first WTA match since October 2023, when she last competed at the China Open in Beijing.
The two-time Wimbledon champion made a strong start, winning the opening set, but Burrage, ranked 189th in the world, fought back to claim a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Burrage, 25, will now face Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in the second round.
Kvitova, who gave birth to her son Petr in July 2023, was uncertain about her tennis return before her break.
She cited the comeback stories of players like Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, and Belinda Bencic after their own maternity leaves as inspiration for her decision.
In the match, Kvitova raced to a 4-0 lead in the opening set, breaking Burrage’s serve twice.
Although Burrage managed to fight back and reduce the deficit to 5-3, Kvitova secured a break to win the first set.
In the second set, Burrage applied more pressure, breaking Kvitova twice.
Despite Kvitova’s efforts to break back, Burrage seized the opportunity in the ninth game and held serve to love, forcing a third set.
The decisive moment came in the final set when Burrage saved four break points to hold serve at 4-4.
She then broke Kvitova in the next game and served out the match to seal her victory.
